Have you noticed a strange thing on the screen of your Android device round cursorthat appears when you connect a mouse, keyboard or even for no apparent reason? This interface element, designed for ease of control from peripheral devices, often becomes a source of irritation - it interferes with watching videos, covers interface elements and distracts from work. In this article we will analyze the all possible reasons for its appearance round cursor and offer 5 proven ways to disableincluding hidden developer settings and solutions for specific manufacturers.

The peculiarity of the problem is that a round cursor can appear not only on tablets with support DeX Mode (like Samsung), but also on regular smartphones after connecting a Bluetooth mouse or when debugging mode is activated. In some cases, it remains on the screen even after disconnecting all input devices - this is due to errors in the service android.server.accessibility. Below you will find instructions for all scenarios, from basic to advanced.

Why does a round cursor appear on Android?

A round pointer (sometimes called a “mouse cursor” or “touchpad cursor”) is a standard Android interface element that is activated in three main cases:

  • 🖱️ Connecting a physical mouse or trackpad —via Bluetooth, USB-OTG or via cable. The system automatically turns on the cursor for ease of navigation.
  • 📱 Activating the "Mouse Pointer" mode in accessibility settings (for example, to control a smartphone from the keyboard).
  • ⚙️ Service failureresponsible for processing input - most often after updating the OS or installing custom firmware.

On devices Samsung (series Galaxy S, Note, Tab), a round cursor may appear when activating the mode Samsung DeX —even if you did not connect a monitor. On Xiaomi, Redmi i POCO the problem is often associated with the proprietary shell MIUI, where the cursor turns on when connected to Mi TV or other devices in the ecosystem. The table below shows the distribution of reasons by brand:

Manufacturer Main reason Typical solution
Samsung Mode DeX or connection to Smart View Disable DeX in the notification panel
Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO Service Mi Share or connecting to Mi TV Turn off Wireless display in settings
Google Pixel USB debugging or activation Pointer Location Disable the option in the developer settings
OnePlus/Oppo/Realme Mode Oppo Share or Multi-Screen Connect Deactivate the function in quick settings

If you do not We connected no external devices, but the cursor still appears - the problem most likely lies in accessibility settings or system services failure. In the next section, we will look at how to diagnose the cause and eliminate it without resetting the settings.

📊 On what device did you get the round cursor?
Samsung
Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO
Google Pixel
OnePlus/Oppo/Realme
Another brand

Method 1: Disabling the cursor through the notification panel

The fastest method is to check the notification panel for active cursor-related modes. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the curtain, and pay attention to the following icons:

  • 🔄 Samsung DeX — if the icon is highlighted, tap on it to turn it off.
  • 🖥️ Wireless display or Smart View — deactivate this function.
  • 🔗 Mi Share/Oppo Share —disable data transfer between devices.

On some devices (for example, Samsung Galaxy Tab S8), the cursor may remain active even after disconnecting DeX. In this case:

  1. Expand the notification panel completely (swipe twice).
  2. Find a notification with the text "Mouse pointer is active" or "DeX mode is enabled".
  3. Tap on the notification and select "Disable".
💡

If the icons DeX or Smart View are missing in the notification panel, try connecting and immediately disconnecting a Bluetooth mouse - this sometimes resets the cursor state.

If the notification panel does not contain any suspicious icons, move on to the next method - checking the accessibility settings.

Method 2: Accessibility Settings

The round cursor may be part of accessibility features intended for users with disabilities. To disable it:

  1. Open Settings → Accessibility (on some devices the path may differ: Settings → Advanced → Accessibility).
  2. Scroll down to the section "Interaction and Dexterity" or "Pointer Control".
  3. Find options:
    • 🔍 Mouse pointer — disable slider.
    • 🖱️ Keyboard control — deactivate if you are not using a physical keyboard.
    • ⚙️ Pointer service —click and select "Disable".

On devices with a shell MIUI (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) the path may look like this: Settings → Accessibility → System settings → Pointer management. If you do not find the item you need, use the search in the settings (magnifying glass icon in the upper right). corner).

Open "Settings → Accessibility"|

Find the "Pointer management" section|

Disable "Mouse Pointer" and "Pointer Service"|

Reboot the device to apply the changes-->

⚠️ Attention: On some devices (for example, Google Pixel 7), disabling the cursor through accessibility features may make it impossible to control a smartphone with a connected mouse. If you actively use a mouse, try others. methods.

Method 3: Developer settings (for advanced users)

If a round cursor appears for no apparent reason, the problem may lie in developer settingsThis method is suitable for users who have previously activated Developer mode (for example, for USB debugging or animation acceleration).

To disable the cursor through the developer settings:

  1. Open Settings → About phone (or About tablet).
  2. Find the item "Build number" and tap on it 7 times until a notification appears "You have become a developer!".
  3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new section "For developers" (usually at the bottom of the list).
  4. Scroll down and find the options:
    • 📍 Pointer Location - disable (this displays the cursor coordinates, but does not remove it itself).
    • 🖱️ Show taps - deactivate (shows touches on the screen).
    • ⚙️ Force GPU rendering - if enabled, try disabling (may affect display cursor).
  • Reboot the device.

    • On devices Samsung there may be a separate item in the developer settings "DeX pointer speed" —set it to "Off" or "Disabled". If after these manipulations the cursor disappeared, but appeared again after connecting the mouse, the problem is in the system service, and deeper settings will be required.

    What to do if there is no “For Developers” item?

    If the section does not appear after 7 taps on the “Build number”, check:

    1. Make sure that you tap on the line "Build number" and not "MIUI Version"/"Android Version".

    2. On some firmware (for example, ColorOS from Oppo) you need to tap 10 times.

    3. If the partition was previously disabled via ADB, enable it with the command:

    adb shell settings put global development_settings_enabled 1

    Method 4: Reset Google Play services settings

    If a round cursor appears after updating Google Play Services or system applications, the failure may be related to the service cache. This method will not delete your data, but will reset the settings of background processes.

    Instructions:

    1. Open Settings → Applications.
    2. Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Show system".
    3. Find "Google Play Services" (or "Google Play Services") and open it.
    4. Click "Storage" → "Space Management" → "Clear all data".
    5. Confirm the action and reboot the device.

      6. After reboot, check if the cursor has disappeared. If the problem persists, try also clearing the cache for applications:

      • 📱 "Google Settings" (or "Google")
      • 🖱️ "Android System Intelligence" (responsible for processing gestures and pointers)
    ⚠️ Attention: On some devices (for example, Huawei without services Google) instead Google Play Services you need to reset "Huawei Mobile Services". After clearing the data, you may need to re-authorize in your Google/Huawei account.

    Method 5: Disabling via ADB (for advanced users)

    If all the previous methods did not work, the most radical method remains - disabling the cursor via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method requires connecting the device to a computer and basic knowledge of working with the command line.

    Step-by-step guide:

    1. Download and install ADB Tools to your computer (Windows/macOS/Linux).
    2. Activate USB debugging on your phone:
      • Open Settings → About phone → Build number (tap 7 times).
      • Return to Settings → System → For developers.
      • Enable "USB Debugging".
  • Connect the phone to the computer via a USB cable and select the mode "File Transfer" (or "MTP").
  • Open command line (or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and run the commands: 
    adb devices

    (your device should appear)

    adb shell settings put secure pointer_location 0
    adb shell settings put secure show_touches 0
  • Reboot the device.

    • If the round cursor is associated with a service Samsung DeX, use an additional command:

    adb shell am force-stop com.sec.android.app.dex

    For devices Xiaomi disabling the service may help Mi Share:

    adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.mishare.connectivity
    💡

    Use ADB only if you are confident in your actions. Incorrect commands can disrupt the operation of the system. Before experiments, create a backup copy of your data.

    Additional solutions for specific ones. brands

    Some manufacturers add unique functions to their shells that can cause a round cursor to appear. Below are solutions for popular brands.

    Samsung (DeX, Smart View)

    • 📺 Disable Smart View in quick settings or through Settings → Connections → Smart View.
    • 🖥️ In settings DeX (Settings → Additional features → Samsung DeX) select "Disable automatically".
    • 🔄 If the cursor appears when connection to Samsung TV, reset settings SmartThings (Settings → Cloud and accounts → SmartThings).

    Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO (MIUI)

    • 🔗 Disable Mi Share in the notification panel or via Settings → Connections and sharing → Mi Share.
    • 🖱️ In settings "For developers" find "Disable mouse pointer" and activate it.
    • 📱 If the cursor appears when connecting to Mi TV, reset settings Mi Home (Settings → Applications → Manage applications → Mi Home → Storage → Clear data).

    Google Pixel

    • ⚙️ In the developer settings, disable "Pointer Location" i "Show surface updates".
    • 🔄 Reset the application settings "Android System Intelligence" (Settings → Applications → Show system → Android System Intelligence → Storage → Clear cache).
    ⚠️ Attention: On devices with custom firmware (for example, LineageOS), a round cursor may be part of the system interface. In this case, disabling it is only possible by editing files build.prop or installing a modified kernel.

    Frequently asked questions

    The round cursor appears only when a Bluetooth mouse is connected. How to disable it, but still allow mouse control?

    On most devices, the cursor and mouse controls are linked. However, on Samsung you can leave the mouse active, but remove the cursor after Settings → Accessibility → Pointer control → Pointer visibility (set transparency to 0%) This cannot be done on other brands - the cursor will always be displayed when the mouse is connected.

    After updating Android, a round cursor appeared, although it did not connect anything. What should I do?

    This is a typical problem after updating to Android 12+, where Google added improved pointer support. Try:

    1. Clear the cache Android System Intelligence (see Method). 4).
    2. Disable the option "Improved input" in Settings → System → Gestures → System navigation.
    3. Reset settings applications "Google Settings".

    If that doesn't help, reset the settings to factory settings (don't forget to make a backup).

    On the tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 the cursor appears by itself, even without a mouse?

    On tablets Samsung the cursor may be activated due to a failure in the service. Samsung DeXSolution: 

    adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.sec.android.app.dex

    If ADB is not available, try:

    1. Disable DeX in the panel notifications.
    2. Clear application data Samsung DeX (Settings → Applications → Samsung DeX → Storage → Clear data).
    3. Update firmware via Smart Switch.

    Is it possible to remove the round cursor forever so that it does not appeared even when connecting a mouse?

    Technically yes, but this will require root access or modification of system files. Without root, you can only:

    • Disable the cursor via ADB (see Method 5), but it can return after a reboot.
    • Use applications like Pointer Disabler (requires Android 7.0+ and overlay permission).
    • Install custom firmware without pointer support (not recommended for beginners).

    On devices with root access, you can remove the system application com.android.server.accessibility, but this may disrupt operation other functions.

    The cursor has disappeared, but now touch input does not work. What should I do?

    This means that you have disabled a critical system process. Try:

    1. Restart the device in Safe Mode (press the power button → "Restart in safe mode").
    2. If the sensor works, the problem is in a third-party application. Uninstall the latest installed software.
    3. If that doesn’t help, reset the settings via Recovery (Wipe Cache Partition).

    As a last resort, you will have to reset the device to factory settings.